Regardless of the where the opposition is in the standings, however, the Canadiens know they'll need the same kind of effort they got in Philadelphia on Friday, especially from whoever is in net.

"We've had good goaltending for a while now," defenseman Hal Gill told NHL.com. "(Friday's game) are the games that it shows -- it's a tight game all the way through, and that's the way they're going to be from now on. You get playoff time and things tighten up, that's where you need that big extra save."

Halak made a bunch of extra saves Friday en route to stopping all 35 Flyers shots -- including 14 in the third -- for his fourth shutout of the season.

"I think Jaro was really outstanding," coach Jacques Martin said. "He made several key saves, several big saves and kept us in the game. Especially in the third period."

Halak, however, wasn't getting too excited with his play.

"When we get to the playoffs, it was a huge win," he said. "If not, it was just regular win.

"Right now every win is important for us. Even when we get one point it's important. We'll see how important (Friday's) game was in a week or so."

The key, he said, is like what Gionta said -- bringing the same effort to their last four games that they did to Friday's game.

"I think everybody knew the importance of (Friday's) game," said Halak. "Everybody did the job. Everybody is happy with the results. We just have to make sure we play the same way tomorrow."